INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — There are a lot of players to be excited about on this Colts team. Whether it’s veteran skill position players like Jonathan Taylor or Michael Pittman Jr., defensive players like Zaire Franklin or Kenny Moore II, or second year starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, there are a lot of talented players on this Colts roster.

But, it’s rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu that former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is the most excited about this season.

Latu was taken 15th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, and was the first defensive player selected.

“This guy’s got a great skillset,” Pagano said. “He can rush the passer, he’s got a plethora of pass rush moves. We’re going to need Latu to come up big today, so I can’t wait to see this guy roll.”

Latu has gone through a lot in his football journey already. During preseason workouts for the 2020 season when he was at Washington, he suffered a neck injury. It kept him out of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was advised to medically retire by the staff at Washington.

But, he sought out another doctor’s opinion, and he cleared him to return to playing football. Latu transferred to UCLA, where he would become the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and an AP First Team All-American.

“You got to love this guy’s story,” Pagano said “The perseverance, the resiliency, everything he went through from Washington to UCLA, I mean he was done with football.”

Latu joins a veteran group at the defensive line for the Colts. They were excellent last season, racking up the fifth most sacks in the NFL.

But, with 2023 sack leader Samson Ebukam out for potentially the entire season after tearing his Achilles during training camp, Latu has a big role to help fill in the Colts pass rush.

The Colts take on the Texans in the first game of the regular season on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Chuck Checks In

Watch the video above for the full ‘Chuck Checks In’ segment.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

Tune in at 11 a.m. on WISH-TV on every Colts Sunday for Countdown to Kickoff with News 8 sports director Anthony Calhoun, former Colt Ken Dilger, Chuck Pagano, and live hits from the stadium.

The postgame show airs right after the game with Anthony Calhoun and former Colt Marlin Jackson.